Vintage Wire Milk Basket….a behind the scenes.

Please accept my sincere thanks for your sweet messages from my previous post. You took the time to let me know that you appreciate the little Craftberry Bush and that made my heart smile. Sometimes we just need a little pat on the back and a word or two to encourage and keep us going. So I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And if you read my previous post, this is what I meant when I say there are many colours of me…

So today I’m skipping the colourful side…

and showing you this…

A beautiful old wire milk basket.

Look at that patina…ahhh

Can you hear the stories this little basket tells?

(although “Milkman” stories don’t always end too well, do they?)

Are you tired of those jars yet?

Rusty and perfectly imperfect, but I can’t for the life of me remember where we picked it up. Was in that little village in the South of France…or that quaint town in Spain? It may have been during our summer in Tuscany?

In my dreams.

I actually picked it up at the Dollar Store. Yup! My faithful ol’ dollar store. Let me show you how it all started.

I’ve been wanting to make a wire basket for some time and while I knew I was going to make it from chicken wire and wire hangers, I just wasn’t sure how I was going to make the frame.

I was originally going to cut and glue together wooden dowels, but then I spotted this…

Not exactly French country, but remember how I often write about thinking outside the box? Well in this case, let’s look outside the basket. Notice the frame?

I started by cutting the straps, only to feel guilty as I imagined someone having used their own hands to make this basket (which is well made by the way). I hate to think that these items are made by people who get taken advantage of and work so hard for pennies (way to put a damper on my excitement) :o(

So I kept the straps and will think of some use for them. At least that way, their hard work will not ALL go to waste.

The frame had a black coating on it that didn’t say ‘I’m old’, so I used some sand paper to sand it off. I then used a wire coat hanger to make two triangles, which will be placed at either side of the frame to hold the handle. Make two little loops at the bottom as pictured.

Attach the triangle at either side of the frame and close the loop tightly with your pliers. For the handle, I was lucky enough to have had one from an old wooden lantern, but I was originally going to use a drilled dowel.

I even thought of using a carton tube from tin foil paper roll. It’s very sturdy and by painting it, you would never know it was made of cardboard. Feed another piece of wire through the handle, make two loops at either end and attach to the top of the triangles.

I then wrapped the chicken wire around the frame (sorry forgot to take pictures) but

please, please, please…if you want to avoid multiple pricks and blood, use gloves!!! While the gloves were sitting right beside me, I refused to use them as they were too big and were just getting in the way. So I took one for the team, but you don’t have to! I used my favourite paint, a mixture of green, brown and orange and with a brush gave the wire some rusty personality.I also used a piece of wire to make a partition in the middle (not pictured in the tutorial but you can see it on some of the other pictures)

And that was that…

I’m very happy with how it turned out.

I purchased some fresh herbs from the super market and placed them in clear jars. She will sit pretty in my kitchen.

But before then, I had to capture some photos to show her off a little…

Thanks again for being here, I love your company.

Wishing you a beautiful weekend!

much love,

Lucy

Basket $1.25

Chicken wire $2.00 (brand new item from the dollar store, and I used less than 1/4 of it)

Well, I missed your previous post because MyHero and I are traveling this week..but I went back and read it and left you a comment…but I am leaving it here too because I don’t want you to miss it~ And I love your basket!!!

Lucy- I just love you! You could wrap YOURSELF in thread and I would applaud and say HOORAY because it is YOU! You have such a pure and sweet spirit that just comes through in everything you do! God has blessed your children with a wonderful Mom that takes time to do special things WITH and FOR them. They won’t realize how blessed they are until they are all grown up~ Amen!!! xxoo Diana

This is so cool! I am so going to do this! I saw this on FJI and it caught my eye. Now I have to go to the dollar store to make one! Thanks for the awesome tutorial! Love the photography! Just Beautiful!

This is what I need to do! I can find any wire baskets here without spending a bunch. I had no idea the dollar store had chicken wire. I didn’t want that huge roll from Lowes! Looks great with your blue jars. I love my my jars 🙂

I love the idea, it really looks antique!!!I’ll definitely try this one of these days. Bravo for your mise en scene, so pretty.thank you for sharinghave a nice week end, sun in France hope the same for you

Voting started tonight! Remember, you are one of finalists for Best of March 2011 at Saturday Mornings! Congrats again, there were over 700 entries! Here is the link to the voting area, and be sure to grab your button on the right sidebar at the very bottom to display here and drive your readers to vote! Good luck!

I am in awe of your talents, my friend. That is amazingly beautiful. I LOVE the handle! I love everything about it. You truly are gifted!!!! Now, if you make another and need someone to sale it to, you just let me know.

BTW….I GOT MY GIFTCARD! Thank you so very much. I am so excited to use it. I will let you know what I get for myself. Such a treat.

Sorry I haven’t checked your lovely blog in awhile. I have been so busy opening up my Etsy shop. I have several beautiful aqua blue jars in my shop. I have tons in my house. I love them and their great color.

Oh, this is just brilliant! I’ve just recently started following your blog and I have so many things I want to try making. I must make the blue jars, and now the basket too! I’ve been saving up the little Starbucks coffee jars (mocha beverage) for a grouping so I’m ready to go! Thank you for such inspiration.

Hi Lucy, I found your blog from My Romantic Home & I’m happy to say I’m a new follower. I LOVE your milk basket. I will be on the look out for a basket I could transform into a basket. What a great idea. Thank you : )Have a wonderful weekend~ Deanna

Thank you so much—-this is brilliant! Have you linked to Miss Mustard Seed? She would love this! {I am a little blog addicted}. I plan to try this out. Many blessings to you for sharing your talent. Audrey

I like everyone else on here have fell in love with your colorful brain Mrs. Lucy. This is a fabulous tutorial and just what my sister in law is looking for, so I think I shal be making one or two. Ashley Smith

Wow are you inventive. I am so impressed. Think I might have some kind of basket like that to use the frame from. I am a nut for wire baskets and those jars of which I have several of the antique old blue ones and slightly bigger jars that have a greenish color. I’m very protective of my jars, have hauled them around all over the country. Out of about 2 dozen jars only one clear one got broken, bummer.I can hardly wait to make that wire basket, it just makes me so darned happy to be able to have access to your awesome projects and talent.

i made one that looks a bit like yours, it turned out beautifully, i wraped the chicken wire all the way around the frame so nothing stuck out, it looks like something id buy in a store 🙂 youre such an inspiration 🙂